Orioles are beautiful, unique birds that a lot of people enjoy having visit from time to time in their yard. The best way to attract the bird is to have feeders designed specifically for them.

The Baltimore oriole is an icterid blackbird that eats a similar diet to a hummingbird. In fact, those with hummingbird feeders will find a lot of similarities between the two. The differences are, the oriole feeders are orange, and they have larger perches. Also, orioles will also eat fruit like oranges and jelly.

With a pretty simple diet, buying a feeder is the next step to really having new success attracting the birds to a yard. Here are 10 of the top Oriole feeders on the market right now. People should be looking for those bird feeders that cater specifically to the oriole. Since each bird has a slightly different preference, it just makes sense to shop this way.

1. First Nature 3088 32 OZ Oriole Feeder

This is the simplest solution for a nice oriole feeder for the yard. It can actually be used for hummingbirds or orioles, depending on a person's preference. First Nature doesn't try to do too much with the feeder, providing people with a simple solution that can last a while.

With a bright red color, the feeder will stand out. As readers will see below though, this is something that is just going to happen with any feeder for birds. Most feeders for hummingbirds are red, while orioles are orange. The fact this is red means it seems to be more of a general feeder for multiple birds.

The materials aren't the highest quality, but it does its job. Really, it is hard to go wrong at this price. Those who are still on the fence about fully committing to attracting birds to their home should try this one out first and see what exactly happens.

Pros:

- Extremely lightweight- Large capacity- Keeps bees away

Cons:

- Soft plastic makes it more vulnerable to heat damage- Bigger orioles struggle with small holes

2. Oriole Birds Choice Flower Feeder

This flower feeder can be described as simplistic, yet artsy. Even without the birds stopping by, this is a lovely piece for any yard. It has a space for jelly and oranges, catering towards orioles specifically.

It isn't the biggest feeder, but it can hold a few birds at a time. This is more designed for smaller yards, or to use in sets if the yard is a bit bigger. It's a little pricer compared to other options, but the design alone makes a lot of people into fans.

Pros:

- Looks beautiful when not in use- Tailor made for orioles in mind- Plenty of space for food options

Cons:

- Orange holders can snap off after heavy use- Not great for yards with high traffic

3. Birds Choice 1009 12 OZ Feeder

This small feeder is a perfect solution for oriole fanatics. They have the three most popular ways to feed an oriole covered, making it extremely easy for even beginners to get started.

With hooks and a suction cup, this feeder can be basically put anywhere in the yard. Birds are going to be very attracted to the feeder with all the different food options. The company also does a very good job of making sure the food is protected from insects, bugs, bees and others as much as possible.

Since there is always going to be a little bit of exposed food, those with mammals who frequent the yard should be a little bit cautious. This is a relatively small feeder, but squirrels in particular love to grab some food for themselves.

4. Poly-Recycled Oriole Feeder SNOF

As the most expensive feeder on this list, readers are expecting something truly great. Fortunately, all it takes is a look at this feeder to see that it is different.

The roof is something that not a lot of other feeders will have for birds. Some might think this is solely for the birds, but it keeps the food clean and dry as well. This means less work for the owner.

Everything on this feeder is high quality. It is as close to indestructible as one can find with bird feeders. It still requires some regular cleaning, but it should last plenty of years if treated properly.

Having the roof is perfect for anyone who lives in an area with somewhat frequent showers. It not only can protect the birds a bit, but it protects the food from being compromised. Diluted jelly is simply not as attractive to birds as the real stuff.

Pros:

- High quality construction- Roof provides shelter for birds and the food- Color makes it impossible for orioles to miss

Cons:

- Not the easiest to clean- Might be more of a feeder than a person needs

7. Songbird Essentials SE905 Ultimate

This disc feeder might not seem like much initially, but it has small compartments for everything. Thanks to the sunken troughs of jelly, the oranges have plenty of room to be on display for the orioles to initially be attracted.

With a larger disc feeder like this, it can easily hold quite a few orioles at once. That is great news for people looking to put it in crowded areas. Instead of having to buy multiple of one feeder, this is an opportunity to buy just one bigger one instead.

As with any disc, balance is something to keep in mind from time to time. It can get a bit lopsided, but after some tinkering, a person can usually hang it just about anywhere.

Pros:

- Easy to clean- Very large- Does a great job preventing bees and ants

Cons:

- Becomes lopsided too easily- Other birds are drawn to the wide array of food

9. More Birds 61 Classic Brands Oriole Vintage Feeder

This option from More Birds is a vintage looking feeder that really stands out from the crowd. Even though it is not all that flashy, the orange flowers do enough to bring in the orioles as often as possible.

The first thing every person notices is the mason jar on top of the feeder. It is a glass bottle with a vintage look and feel. It holds up to 20 ounces of nectar, meaning that replacement is not going to be needed all that often.

There are four different flowers for birds to check out if they are interested. They all have bee guards as well, making it nearly impossible for them to enjoy the nectar as well.

The flowers are pretty durable at first, but they can start to breakdown a little bit too quickly. Keep that in mind if the feeder is used very frequently. Also, as soon as the flowers are compromised, there could be an opportunity for insects and bees to jump on the nectar opening as well.

Most people invest in this feeder because it does a very good job of fitting in with the rest of their decor. The fact it also does a very good job simply as a feeder is icing on the cake.

Pros:

- Vintage look is unique- Large reservoir of nectar- Flowers protect the nectar from bees and ants well

10. Perky-Pet 750 Deluxe Hand Painted Oriole Feeder

At first glance, this feeder simply does not look like a lot of others out there. Some people will like that aspect, while others feel like it will be too much. With 24 ounces of nectar being held in a reservoir that is cut like a gem, the feeder is definitely going to grab attention from anyone who spots it.

Perky Pet does a very good job of making this look like a very high-quality feeder. It is somewhat surprising that it is only about $15, because it seems more expensive than that. The orange details around really make this a vibrant looking feeder that can be used for most of the year.

Each of the three ports are shaped like an orange slice, which doesn't do a lot for the birds, but it does make the feeder look better overall. The chain that holds the entire feeder is surprisingly very durable, and that makes it easy to be put in different spots around the yard.

About the only drawback is that the unique design doesn't make it entirely easy to clean the feeder on a consistent basis. It might take a little bit of creativity to get that done.

Pros:

- Very beautiful and looks more expensive than it is- Holds up well even in adverse weather conditions- A lot of nectar can be help at one time

Oriole Feeder Selection Tips

Orioles are unique among all bird species in that they follow what you may call an ‘idiosyncratic diet’. Unlike most birds, they won’t even touch seeds but prefer foods that are high in sugar content, so we are talking fruits like orange, grape, etc., but also grape jelly and nectar. In the summer months, however, when they are hatching, the birds would mostly settle for a protein-rich mealworm diet. And this is the most peculiar thing about an oriole’s diet—that it keeps changing its preferences throughout the season.

For instance, it is not uncommon to find a drove of orioles, who looked perfectly content to nibble away at orange halves or slices for a couple of weeks, suddenly turning to a grape jelly-only diet or a grape jelly-plus-nectar diet for the next few weeks. Normally, however, they seem to prefer the sugary foods during the spring and fall months (i.e., at times when they are either settling back from or preparing for migration) and mealworms (live or freeze-dried) in the summer.

Then there are different species, such as the most commonly found Baltimore Orioles, but also Orchard Orioles, Hooded Orioles, Bullock’s Orioles and others. And different orioles may have different diet preferences, something you would need to consider as well when choosing your oriole feeder or feeders. In short, it is somewhat of a tricky choice when it comes to selecting an oriole feeder for your backyard.

Of course, the most economic and convenient solution would be to settle for a feeder that lets you put jelly in one or more cups, skewer orange halves to a metal hook or into separate stakes and includes a dish feeder with feeding ports—as in a common hummingbird dish/highview feeder. The Birds Choice Oriole Fest from our above list is a good example of such an all-in-one solution.

However, this type of feeder has its disadvantages as well. Firstly, when orioles settle for the grape jelly more than the orange or other fruits, they tend to gorge mainly on the jelly itself, while seeping the nectar only occasionally. This means that much of your nectar concentrate will normally go to waste as sugar water goes stale rather quickly. If you’ve hummingbirds visiting your yard as well and if you think that the nectar will be emptied out by those hummers—well, unfortunately, that won’t be it either! An oriole normally doesn’t allow another oriole to eat from a feeder when he/she is there (unless it is one of its young), let alone other birds.In such a scenario, it is better to go for one or more separate nectar feeders in addition to dedicated oriole orange and jelly feeder models. We’ll talk some more on this while discussing the different types of oriole feed stations. Before that, here are some general selection tips for oriole feeders:

1. Always go for models that contain a generous amount of the color orange as orioles are most readily attracted to the color.2. Make sure the jelly cups (that you’ll later use to place mealworms) are easy to attach and clean. In the summer months, these cups can get really messy or gooey, so it’s important that you can clean them well without too much of a hassle.3. Try to go for a model that provides some kind of protective cover for the food without obstructing their visibility (The Bird Choice Oriole Feeder from our list is a good example).4. Keep an eye for models with built-in accessories such as ant moats, bee guards, etc.

Types of Oriole Feeders

Mainly, there are two types of oriole feeders: one, that includes a nectar bowl as well as separate cups for putting jelly plus one or two stakes to skewer orange halves and then, there are the models that have provisions for jelly cups and oranges but without a nectar bowl. Now, what type you should go for depends primarily on the food preferences of the species of orioles that visit your backyard and then, whether or not you receive both orioles and hummingbirds in your yard.

If you’ve hummingbirds coming to your yard, you must always put separate nectar feeders for the birds. The hummers are smaller in size and also less aggressive than the orioles and there is no point making them compete with orioles for their diet of nectar fluid.

In fact, as you may’ve already noticed from our above list that some bird feeder manufacturers have nectar feeder models especially designed for orioles. These models feature liberal splashes of orange in their design and are also equipped with larger and spacious perches meant to accommodate the larger-bodied orioles.

Top Oriole Feeder Brands

As always, Perky Pet is a brand to reckon with when it comes to birds feeders and accessories. And this is again exemplified in their dedicated jelly feeder and in the beautifully hand-painted oriole nectar feeder models covered on our list. Both are extremely innovative models offered at an affordable price. However, when it comes to oriole feeders in particular, two brands we like the best are the Birds Choice and the Songbird Essentials. They offer a wide variety of dedicated oriole models at reasonable prices and we especially appreciate the attention to details that are noticeable in almost all their models.

Average Pricing

The price of an oriole feeding platform chiefly depends on the materials used, construction quality and the design details of the models. You can get a wide variety of decently manufactured models in the price range of $10-$20 whereas the higher end models will cost you around $35 to $40.

Oriole Feeding FAQs

How do I attract orioles to my feeder?

Bright flowers, adequate nesting provisions, insects, perches, feeders and water—these are some of the key ingredients when you’re trying to attract these beautifully plumaged and amazing songbirds to your colorful and virid backyard. Keep it in mind, too, that orioles are characteristically shy and it may take some time before they warm up to your garden and keep frequenting it. So, do the right things but also have patience enough!

For a start, orioles normally prefer shadier spaces where they can feel safe enough. So, a space offering a mix of shrubs, bright flowered plants, meadow, lawn as well as tall trees are ideal to make them feel at home.

A layered space. It is a good idea to build a trellis and grow a variety of nectar-rich plants underneath it. Grow some trumpet vine that shall support itself on the trellis. Then, create a layer with some smaller, herbaceous plants that will grow underneath the trellis. In addition, you may hang some ceramic pots or tubs containing a number of different plants with nectar-rich and brightly-colored flowers.

Nesting and Perching. Orioles will use the tall trees for purposes of nesting and perching. These birds normally favor the drooping branches of willows, poplars, maples or conifers. If your garden is lacking in these tall trees, you may use small perching twigs and dead branches as substitutes. Make sure to keep these provisions close to their feeding platforms.

Water. As with most birds, orioles love to bathe frequently in shallow water, especially in the summer months. A bathing station no deeper than two inches should be perfect. But they also like to cavort in small pump-fed waterfalls or simply flit through a drip system or a garden mister and get their feathers wet.

What flowers attract Orioles?

All tubular, bright-colored and nectar-rich flowers will attract orioles. On the other hand, fragrant flowers that attract insects often deter orioles or hummingbirds from flocking your backyard.

What is the best food to feed orioles?

As we’ve already mentioned, the food preferences with orioles keep changing with the changing seasons. During summer, feed them with enough mealworms, a necessary source for protein at a time when they are breeding and raising their young. In spring and fall, the birds normally stick to a sugary food diet consisting of ripe fruits, grape jelly as well as nectar. Usually, they make the switch from orange or other fruits to jelly and nectars pretty soon. All the same, make sure to put some impaled orange halves in your oriole feeder at the beginning of the season. The bright color of the orange itself will help big time in attracting these beautiful songbirds to your yard.

When should I put out my oriole feeder?

Almost all species of orioles found in North America spend their winters in Mexico and Central America and migrate to different parts of United States once the spring sets in. Expect them from around the start of May and they will leave again in September at the latest. So, now you know when to put out your oriole feeders!

How do you keep bees from an oriole feeder?

First of all, keep your backyard and garden space as clean as possible. Put some wasp traps near the oriole feeder. Also make sure to buy a feeder that doesn’t drip and have no yellow in them. If you still have bees/wasps foraging the grape jelly, take the feeder down, clean it thoroughly and once it is dry, rub fresh mint all over the outer surface of the feeder. This should be enough to take care of the bees. Also, during summertime, use live instead of dried-out mealworms to keep the bees away.